Inkjet-printing devices, such as inkjet printers, are devices that eject ink onto media to form images on the media. Conventionally, an inkjet-printing device feeds media past an inkjet-printing mechanism, such as an inkjet printhead, in a first direction. The inkjet-printing mechanism moves relative to the media in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, ejecting ink onto a swath of the media in accordance with a portion of the image to be formed. The inkjet-printing device advances the media so that a new swath is incident to the inkjet-printing mechanism, and the mechanism again moves relative to the media to eject ink onto this new swath. This process is repeated until the desired image is formed on the media.
By comparison, a handheld inkjet-printing device relies upon a user to move the device over a swath of media to properly eject ink onto the media to form a desired image. Such handheld inkjet-printing devices are useful in environments like shipping environments, for instance, in which tags, such as bar codes and other identifiers, are to be quickly imaged on media like packages. An example of such a handheld inkjet-printing device is described in the previously filed patent application entitled “Print Device Preconditioning,” filed on Jan. 30, 2007, and assigned Ser. No. 11/669,149.
Inkjet-printing devices commonly need to be serviced. Such servicing can involve wiping inkjet-printing nozzles of the inkjet-printing mechanism, as well as spitting ink from the nozzles, to ensure that the nozzles properly eject ink when called upon to form an image on media. In a conventional inkjet-printing device, typically the inkjet-printing mechanism is moved to a service station within the device at which servicing is performed. The analog for a handheld inkjet-printing device is a docking station in which the device is placed while not being used to form an image on media. However, it can be inconvenient to expect the user to dock the handheld inkjet-printing device any time the device is not being used so that servicing can be performed.